BENNU: Security forces killed 17 militants, including three key commanders of Fitna-tul-Khawarij, in multiple operations across the Bannu region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Saturday. Dozens of militants were also injured.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said the operations caused no major losses to police or security personnel. He added that local residents fully cooperated with the forces. Officials also recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition from the dead militants.
The IGP said police and security forces launched operations in Sheri Khel and Pakka Pahar Khel after reports of militant presence. In the joint operation by Lakki police, the Bannu Counter Terrorism Department and security forces, 10 militants were killed, five injured and one facilitator was arrested.
He said seven bodies were recovered, while three remained in a difficult mountainous area and could not be retrieved.
In another operation, Bannu police, the CTD and security forces killed six militants during an eight-hour raid. Several others were wounded.
IGP Hameed praised the police and the armed forces for the successful operations. He vowed to clear Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of militant threats and said forces would pursue the terrorists until the last hideout is destroyed.
Bomb defused in central Bannu
Police said they foiled a major attack by defusing a 10-kilogram bomb planted inside a ghee container at Aabshar Chowk. They said the successful disposal prevented a large tragedy.
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Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan said the bomb disposal squad acted in time, adding that the device could have caused widespread destruction if it had detonated.
